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Chimpanzees

On July 28, 2011, the Jane Goodall Institute’s (JGI) Debby Cox was shopping in Pointe Noire, Republic of the Congo, when she received a call about a baby chimpanzee who had been confiscated by authorities and brought to the local Ministry of Water and Forest. Debby picked up the chimpanzee and brought him immediately to JGI’s Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center.

Chimpanzees can offer us a great deal of insight into our evolutionary past, as well as into our future.

Because chimpanzees are so biologically and socially similar to humans, they offer us a great deal of insights into our evolutionary past, as well as into our future. As we observe and document the world of chimpanzees, we learn more about our own behaviors and social patterns, our impact on the ecosystem, and even our ability to spread disease.

10 Things to Know About Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees are one of our closest living relatives. In fact, humans and chimpanzees share 95 to 98 percent of the same DNA!

Chimpanzees make and use tools. In fact, they use more tools for more purposes than any other creature except human beings. Visit the video page to watch videos of tool use at Gombe National Park in Tanzania.

With the increased commercialization of the illegal bushmeat trade across Central and Western Africa, thousands of adult chimpanzees and other endangered animals like elephants and gorillas are killed every year.